This is my senior year advice video, which includes EVERYTHING you would ever want to know about applying to some top colleges! If you follow these tips for applying during your junior/senior year, you'll have a lot more ease applying!

Here are some notes I wrote while thinking up this video and thought I'd just include for you guys:

1. Start early, start now
First semester is going to be super busy with applying to college, keeping your GPA strong and applying to lots of scholarships. Start now and then you can relax later!

2. Pick a top 10 list of colleges you might apply for BASED off of:
Reach schools and safe schools BASED off of your GPA (predict for next year & SAT/ACT)
also: cost, location, academics, private/public school, quality of life, majors offered there, etc.
Make a list, you don't have to apply to all of them

Other helpful websites:
- collegeboard (official website, does the same thing as the book)
- collegeprowler (from students, can see how you stack up in admission)
- collegeconfidential (all your college-related questions answered. basically a google search for college questions)

3. Do a lot of research, really early and be ORGANIZED!
Use a calendar w/ dates of application deadlines & scholarships, etc.

(I was terrible at this and literally applied the day before to every school i applied for)

4. START NOW
Common app.org = an online website that a lot of colleges require to apply for their college
The essays are the same as last year and are up on their website now.
august 1 = date you can start filling things out

5. Essay
- Brainstorm a topic & then just word vomit
- Edit, edit, edit!
- Have a variety of people critique your essay, not just teachers

6. ACT/SATs
- Both tests are completely different
- Take a practice test for each one and see which one you do better on comparatively on a conversion chart
- Then start studying and focus on ONE
- The only way is to do practice tests (w/ tutor if you want)
- Sit down, take a timed practice test and then review the answer
- Lots and lots of different variables during testing/ mistimes, different spaces, etc. my scores changed a lot

7. scholarships
- LOCAL are the easiest to get
- Ask around, a lot of people offer scholarships
- Ask your counselor